Acquiring data ethically is a cornerstone of scientific investigation. This is especially important in the field of nursing informatics because the vast majority of data deals directly with people and their personal health information. Before investigators collect or use data from surveys, charts, or samples, the appropriate ethics review and approval must occur. Determining the appropriate ethics review depends on the investigative method employed; therefore, correct method identification is integral. From an ethics review standpoint, two of the most common methods, research and quality improvement (QI), are fundamentally dissimilar yet difficult to differentiate. Inaccurately identifying a study as research or QI could mean that it is inappropriately reviewed or conducted without appropriate ethics approval. Nursing informatics requires the appropriate identification of research and QI methods to prevent investigators from unnecessarily putting themselves, their studies, their study participants and their data integrity at risk.